Parent Holds Teacher Hostage By: Preston Stubblefield The man who was killed following a lengthy police standoff during which he held a teacher hostage at his daughter’s elementary school in Riverside was identified. The incident began unfolding at Castleview Elementary School around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday October 31 and lasted at least six hours as officials attempted to negotiate with the man, the Riverside Police Department said in a press release. That man has been identified as Riverside resident Luvelle Kennon, 27. He died in the hospital after being shot by police. Kennon had a daughter in the first grade who he was coming to pick up when the violence unfolded, according to Justin Grayson, a public information officer for the Riverside Unified School District. The teacher, Linda Montgomery, sustained some scrapes and abrasions when she was grabbed and pulled into an empty classroom. Officials said Montgomery was in good condition. Riverside police said a substitute teacher was hurt “after being struck by the suspect while attempting to intervene and prevent him from taking the other teacher hostage. This substitute teacher sustained a broken nose and other facial injuries.” The “barricaded hostage situation” started at 11:12 a.m. at the school at 6201 Shaker Drive, according to Riverside Police Department Spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback. The upset parent did not follow protocol, he forced himself into the school and barricaded himself inside the classroom with the teacher, Railsback said. It wasn’t clear why the parent was upset. Police are investigating whether the parent had previous contact with the teacher and what may have triggered the incident. Railsback said it was not clear if the parent had a weapon, but some type of smoke was spotted inside a classroom. Authorities were unsure what caused the parent to be upset. Another staff member may have gotten into a physical altercation with the parent. That person was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries, he added. A Police Department spokesperson told the Press Enterprise that “their major concerns included the fact that they were only intermittently able to speak with Kennon and that he wouldn’t allow them to see or speak to the hostage.” Montgomery had also been held hostage for roughly seven hours without food or water, the newspaper reported. All students and staff were evacuated to Castle View Park immediately after the incident was reported, officials said. With a parent holding a first-grade teacher hostage should tell you that we have big problems in the United States. It was supposed to be a very fun Halloween for all the elementary kids, which turned out to be one of the scariest days of their lives. With everything that has happened, I`m very grateful to hear that nobody else was killed or injured.